These results prove that if you choose to drink and drive we will catch you

Supt Norman Bartlett, Thames Valley Police

But police in the two regions say the figures suggest not everyone heeded the drink-drive message this Christmas, despite a hard-hitting government television advert campaign which featured real footage of road accidents.

In the Thames Valley area, of 332 motorists breathalysed following collisions between 18 December and 2 January, 57 were over the limit or refused to give samples - 17% of the total.

This compared with 9% last year.

West Yorkshire police carried out 743 tests after accidents over the same period, with 75 proving positive - 10.1% of the total compared with last year's 6.6%.

Two police forces saw drink drive figures rise this Christmas

Both forces have criticised drivers for ignoring the drink-drive message.

Superintendent Norman Bartlett, who heads the Thames Valley Police Traffic Department, said: "It really makes you wonder why people take the risk of drinking and driving.

"These results prove that if you choose to drink and drive we will catch you."

He said he was encouraged that the number of injury collisions in the Thames Valley area had falled by 15% compared with the same period in 1999.

Drivers complacent

West Yorkshire police described its figures as disappointing.

Inspector Michael Green, of the force's Specialist Traffic Support Unit, said motorists were becoming complacent about the drink-drive campaign.

"It highlights the need to intensify the anti drink-drive message in the future," he said.

There were 8% fewer injury accidents during the period.

Craig Philips took part in the campaign after a drunken driver killed his father

A DETR spokesman told BBC News Online he could not comment on the effectiveness of the advertising campaign until the national Christmas drink-drive figures were released next week.

But he added: "We are pleased with the campaign. It was relevant and hard-hitting."

In North Yorkshire, the number of people caught drink driving over the Christmas period rose slightly compared to last year.

But police carried out almost twice as many breath tests than the previous year.

Between 18 December and 2 January, 453 drivers were breathalysed in North Yorkshire with 26, or 5.75%, testing positive.

Over the same period last year, 226 motorists were breathalysed and 10 - 4.4% - were found to be over the limit.

Even in Humberside, where the percentage of positive breath tests fell, the police said this was no cause for celebration.

Humberside police breathalysed 1,360 drivers, finding 110, or 8.1%, tested positive.

Over the same period last year 8.7% of the 1,245 drivers breathalysed tested positive.

Inspector Steve Page, of Humberside police, said: "The slight drop gives me no pleasure at all and I believe the very clear message of not drinking and driving is not getting through to some."

The number killed in drink-drive related crashes has been falling.

In the early 1980s the toll stood as high as 1,500 a year but by 1999 it had decreased to around 420 deaths, a fall of 460 on 1998.